Mother and daughter battle homelessness to build a life

[bathroommonkey76]

SARASOTA COUNTY - With no stove in the modest Days Inn hotel room on Clark Road, Julie Ackermann could not make a Christmas dinner for her 14-year-old daughter Danielle.

Holiday cheer came from two Christmas trees donated by the YMCA.

Now, the artificial trees make an oddly festive sight among bags of clothes and possessions in one corner of the hotel room where the Ackermanns have lived since the start of December.

For two heartbreaking years since Ackermann lost her job, the family has battled homelessness and poverty. Danielle, a freshman at Riverview High School, recently missed an English final exam because her mother could not afford gas to take her to school.

More here:

http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20120205/ARTICLE/120209716/0/API


One of my followers on Twitter posted this story. It's a very moving and well written piece about the homeless problem our fellow Americans are facing in Florida.

[wilt the stilt]

1. This is a happy bed time story

for republicans

[renate]

2. an organization to pay people's deposits on apartments would make such a difference

I remember reading "Nickeled and Dimed" and how I just couldn't believe how much people were paying for crappy motel rooms--in this story, she pays nearly $2000 a month (although Days Inn isn't the crappy kind of motel as in the book)--because they simply never had enough to pay the first and last month's rent on a real apartment. It would save so much money, for the government and for individuals, if there were a way to get people into real housing without having to come up with such a huge lump sum. If an outright grant weren't possible, I'd think the financing could work like microfinance--the debt being repaid over time.

edited to correct a misspelling

[Glimmer of Hope]

3. Hopefully someone will pitch in to help her get another place to stay. That is very expensive

even for someone who is employed!